Preparing the Way

Tag Archives: SADC

Posted by Katharine Vincent
on October 5, 2017Comments Off on CSIR and Kulima launch 2nd edition of Climate Risk and Vulnerability: A Handbook for Southern Africa

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Kulima Integrated Development Solutions have today launched the second edition of "Climate Risk and Vulnerability: A Handbook for Southern Africa" (edited by Claire Davis-Reddy and Katharine Vincent). The handbook provides accessible and southern Africa-specific overview of evidence for climate change, projected future climates, potential impacts across sectors, and responses to reduce risk (adaptation and disaster risk reduction). The 202 page handbook serves as a comprehensive resource for climate and development practitioners, students, researchers, and policy-makers. A 28 page executive summary highlights key findings targeted at policy-makers and is available in English and Portuguese. A short video animation accompanies the handbook.

Dr Katharine Vincent and Ms Tracy Cull are finalising the proposal for a regional programme on forests, rangelands and climate change adaptation in southern Africa. The programme will be submitted to the Global Environment Facility to be considered for Least Developed Countries Fund monies. Participating countries for which concept notes will be submitted include Malawi, Zambia and Madagascar in the first phase, and likely Angola, Lesotho and Tanzania in the second phase. The programme, which will be run in partnership with SADC and COMESA and implemented by FAO, aims to harmonise policies and strategies around climage change, forestry and fire management across the region; reduce the vulnerability of forest and rangeland resources and the populations dependent upon them; and to develop and implement a data management system that enables effective monitoring of the state of forest and rangeland resources at both national and regional levels. The programme was first conceived of at a regional workshop hosted by FAO and SADC in Johannesburg in June 2013.

Dr Katharine Vincent is in Antananarivo this week to facilitate a workshop of government representatives who will decide upon the particular design of activities to take place within the remit of a forest adaptation project in Madagascar. In conjunction with FAO, Kulima is supporting the development of a project concept note for submission to the Least Developed Countries Fund. A number of southern African countries, including Malawi and Zambia, are participating in the development of a regional programme on forests, rangelands and climate change adaptation, first conceived of at a regional workshop hosted by FAO and SADC in Johannesburg in June 2013.

Posted by Katharine Vincent
on June 19, 2013Comments Off on Kulima co-facilitates workshop on forests, rangelands and climate change with FAO and SADC

Dr Katharine Vincent and Ms Tracy Cull have been in Johannesburg this week to co-facilitate a workshop on forests, rangelands and climate change with FAO and SADC. The purpose of the workshop, attended by representatives of 13 SADC countries, was to identify opportunities to develop a regional project eligible for Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund monies. Following on from the workshop a draft Project Identification Form will be developed and then elaborated in conjunction with participating countries and the SADC Secretariat.

Dr Katharine Vincent and Ms Tracy Cull, together with Ms Claire Davis from CSIR, are presenting a 3-day training course on the use of weather and climate information in decision-making in Maputo. The training course forms part of the SADC-regional project, funded by USAID, on Climate Risk and Capacity, which released a recent handbook with new high resolution climate projections and information on impacts and adaptation in the region. Following a process of needs assessment in March, the course will be attended by national government decision-makers, including directors from a number of ministries, and selected NGO representatives.

Training course dates have just been announced for the USAID-funded project on Climate Risk and Vulnerability in Southern Africa, implemented by CSIR and Kulima. The project aims to build the capacity of decision-makers across the SADC region to use weather and climate information in their decision-making. Customised training courses are being developed, reflecting needs assessment visits undertaken in Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The first training course will take place in Maputo from 12-14 September, the second one will take place in Lusaka from 19-21 September, the third will take place in Harare from 25-27 September, and the fourth one will take place in Windhoek from 9-11 October.

Last week Dr Katharine Vincent was in Lusaka to meet with government and non-government representatives to assess the needs for climate capacity building in the country. The needs assessment is a key component of the USAID-funded project on Climate Risk and Vulnerability in southern Africa, where customised training will be designed and run to promote the use of weather and climate information in decision-making. As well as Zambia, the project will take place in Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Posted by Katharine Vincent
on September 16, 2011Comments Off on Kulima findings from climate information project presented at 14th Meeting of the CLIVAR Working Group on Seasonal to Interannual Prediction

The SADC Climate Risk Capacity Building project, funded by USAID and implemented by CSIR, Kulima and the Climate Systems Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town, has recently been extended for a further 3 years. As part of this project, Kulima will be working with a variety of humanitarian organisations in order to facilitate their use of climate information in decision-making. RIACSO is a forum of UN agencies and NGOs, headed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which supports SADC in emergency preparedness and response. As they gear up for contingency planning for the 2011-12 summer season, Kulima has communicated the essence of a range of seasonal forecasts (from SARCOF, IRI and CSIR) and is currently facilitating a process of assessing potential risks and vulnerabilities, using this information.

Kulima will be participating in the dissemination meeting of the 15th Southern African Climate Outlook Forum, and then running sessions in the subsequent Disaster Risk Reduction stakeholders training workshop, taking place from 27-30th August in Windhoek, Namibia. The dissemination meeting will have the theme “Seasonal climate prediction, a strategic planning tool in sustainable socio-economic development”, and will present the consensus opinion of southern African national meteorological and hydrological services on the likely rainfall in the forthcoming season (October 2011-March 2012). At the subsequent training for disaster risk managers, Dr Alec Joubert will run sessions on interpreting and using seasonal forecasts for decision-making. This forms part of the current CSIR-Kulima-UCT project on building capacity among planners in the SADC region to use climate information in their decision-making.